Sustainable Finance Seminar

Over the past years, there has been a significant increase in global awareness and concern regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, as well as the impact of climate change. This surge has led to a growing demand for sustainable financial practices and investments that consider these factors, evident in both academic research and practical applications. This comprehensive course provides an overview of fundamental concepts, including investor motivations for ESG investing, performance evaluation of green and brown portfolios, approaches to hedging climate risks in portfolios, and a concise introduction to biodiversity risk assessment. With a strong emphasis on climate finance, the course delves into these topics from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, providing students with valuable insights into the landscape of sustainable finance. In the second part of the course, students are expected to work independently on an assigned research paper,
published recently in one of the top finance journals.

Learning Goals

• Gain an understanding of the field of sustainable finance, including its various terminologies and concepts
• Critical evaluation of recent empirical and theoretical research articles related to sustainable finance

Further Information

For any further information, please write an e-mail to the instructor of this course, Marco Thalhammer.